Unseen Message of Christmas

Christmas is when GOD sent His Son to the world to save us from sin and it happened when the Holy Spirit overshadowed the virgin Mary, later resulting to Jesus being supernaturally born. So this day commemorates GOD's love for us proven by how HE initiated reconcilation through Jesus. It also highlights GOD's miraculous power. He wants us all to be saved and HE made the first miraculous move. 

Photo by Richard Bell on Unsplash.

But we stop there. We think Jesus' coming is just that, to save us from sin and tell us GOD is with us. Jesus' birth is a vital aspect of the whole event but other details of the Advent should also be highlighted so that the commemoration won't just be about gift-giving, expenses, holidays, feasts and special Christmas church programs. We should see the unseen message of Christmas.

Outcasts

First was the barreness of Elizabeth at an old age. And then the strange and doubtful circumstances around Mary's pregnancy. I tried to put myself into their situation and saw how difficult it all was. Barreness and pre-marital pregnancy were issues then that subjected the guilty parties to the prying, judgmental eyes of the public, unlike today when pre-marital sex is an ordinary occurence. Barreness is still seen as a disgraceful weakness or disability today. 

I asked myself, why would GOD choose this scenario for them? Wouldn't this background be a minus factor for HIS plan? Wouldn't it be lots better if Jesus and John had come from prominent family backgrounds instead of having questionable ones? I can just imagine how it felt for Elizabeth, Zechariah Mary and Joseph to be in such discreditable circumstances. It's not indicated in the Gospel but it's easy to see how it went for them--the humiliation, ostracism, bashing and gossip. 

And then born in a dirty, nasty manger where domesticated animals were fed and probably defecated or pissed? Why this, when GOD could have so easily arranged something more decent? At least a clean lying-in clinic? And yet, nothing in these narratives were accidental, by chance or overlooked by GOD. Every detail had a divine purpose and Christmas and church would be vastly different from what they are today if we saw the purposes clearly.

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Poor Family

Jesus came from a poor family. This is proven by the offering they gave when they presented the baby Jesus at the temple and for the purification rites--a pair of doves and two young pegions--offerings required from the poor. 

Say to the Israelites: ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period. 3 On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised.

6 “‘When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering.

8 But if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons...

- Leviticus 12 

Why choose a poor couple as parents for Jesus? Why not be Herod's or Caiaphas' son so that the prominence could've helped the cause of the Gospel, being more easily promoted and more readily accepted by the people with zero persecution? Just imagine the huge evangelism budget possible with Herod or Caiaphas as Jesus' father. No, GOD opted for a poor carpenter, one that disappeared from the scene early. Imagine a single mom with a tainted image of pre-marital pregnancy raising up Jesus till he was a young adult. 

Then he was born in Bethlehem, the least town in Judah, and grew up in equally poor Nazareth, a notorious locality at the time. When Nathnael and probably other folks learned that Jesus was from Nazareth, they doubted how anything good could come from Nazareth. There's no mention of his educational attainment but a hint somewhere says he never entered school [John 7.15-18]. 

GOD Chooses the Despised and Weak

He could've been raised in decent cities like Jerusalem, or Sepphoris which at the time was a super wealthy town considered the jewel of Gallilee. He could've availed of quality education there, or perhaps in Alexandria, Egypt which offered the best university. But GOD didn't think so. HE didn't think all these supposedly plus factors were necessary for Jesus' success. Jesus never even set foot on Sepphoris or mentioned about it even if it was the posh and popular vacation and tourist destination of dignitaries and wealthy people at the time. To me, this was a display of Jesus' repugnance for vanity and a wealthy, superfluous lifestyle. 

All these, I believe, are part of the Christmas message. The Father sent Jesus here not just as Savior but to model the value system of the Kingdom for the church to mirror. This is part of the Good News--salvation through Jesus, meekness, poor in spirit, last is really first, and the least being the greatest. Jesus' birth, life and ministry focused on this but the church has been missing it all the time. If we really see this and understand, we'd celebrate Christmas in a totally different manner, and most especially, do ministry entirely differently.

We Hate the Manger Scene

Up to now, we have a different value system and preferences from what Jesus had. We marvel at mega churches, big church income, vast properties and costly vehicles, and boast of titles and degrees. We delight in our wealthy church members and supporters (we despise "benchwarmers"), or take pride in our association with the rich and famous. Pastors like to be identified with politicians and feel accomplished when connected with them--or have their selfies taken and displayed on social media. I can't imagine Jesus doing that.

We treat small churches blandly and either belittle or deem them "dying" just because they lack money and resources. That has been the church's value system--it's dead until it makes big money. People skip past poor churches and prefer mega ones anytime anywhere. They insist that only big and "growing" churches deserve their support and money. We hate anyting small, poor or least and put them last in our preferences. 

In our hearts we hate the manger scene though fondly put it up at the church altar under a dazzling Christmas tree on Christmas day, changing its meaning further when we put glittering decors, hanging Santas and angels and twinkling lights, sprayed with pine scent to put in glamour. But that's not how GOD presented it. The scene was an epitome of what the world despises and rejects. On Judgment Day, many will be shocked to see how GOD will prefer and delight in the despised, weak, rejected, small and mocked while trashing those that people have held in high honor. 

UNSEEN GOSPEL: 

And even if our gospel is unseen, it is unseen to those who are perishing. [2 Corinthians 4.3]